Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 16, 2022

894 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Sterling Livestock Commission report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.77/cwt -6.26 vs last sale · ≈ $1,006/hd at 582 lb · 69 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $206.43/cwt +2.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,203/hd at 583 lb · 29 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $165.51/cwt -5.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,223/hd at 739 lb · 27 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 894 1,418 0
Feeder cattle 465 1,341 0
Slaughter cattle 166 70 0
Replacement cattle 263 7 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Trade activity and demand moderate. In feeder cattle, steers under 550 lbs traded 4.50 to 10.00 lower on a light test. Steers between 550-600 lbs traded 2.25 higher. Steers weighing 600 to 750 lbs traded 2.00 to 5.00 lower and steers over 750 traded 3.75 higher on a very light test. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded 0.50 to 3.00 lower and heifers over 600 lbs had no comparison. The next available report will be Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
447 447 14 217.00 $217.00 $970 -4.51
463 463 13 212.00 $212.00 $982 -10.00
509–515 510 9 202.00–205.00 $204.33 $1,042 -9.75
563–591 583 29 205.50–209.00 $206.43 $1,203 +2.34
629 629 4 189.00 $189.00 $1,189 -5.23
658–686 675 15 177.00–187.00 $180.90 $1,221 -2.10
710–744 739 27 165.00–167.00 $165.51 $1,223 -4.90
765 765 14 164.50 $164.50 $1,258 +3.78
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–490 486 4 201.00–205.00 $203.99 $991 +3.96
587 587 7 196.00 $196.00 $1,151 +10.56
614–625 615 8 177.00–182.00 $181.37 $1,115 +1.78
657–685 672 15 164.00–174.00 $170.12 $1,143 -0.88
728 728 2 163.00 $163.00 $1,187 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
555 555 5 172.00 $172.00 $955 —
643 643 6 164.00 $164.00 $1,055 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401 401 4 182.00 $182.00 $730 —
465–487 474 19 173.00–178.00 $177.16 $840 —
516–540 523 11 166.00–174.00 $168.96 $884 —
644 644 7 152.00 $152.00 $979 -5.42
653–667 662 23 147.00–150.00 $149.05 $987 -5.10
705–728 711 8 142.00 $142.00 $1,010 -5.00
763–797 793 18 140.00–140.50 $140.45 $1,114 +4.45
828 828 6 131.50 $131.50 $1,089 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–538 515 17 183.00–184.00 $183.18 $943 -2.94
554–589 582 69 172.00–178.50 $172.77 $1,006 -0.56
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
741 741 7 140.00 $140.00 $1,037 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560–586 582 7 151.00–159.00 $157.90 $919 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
858 858 6 129.00 $129.00 $1,107 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1635 1372 80-85% 35 80.00–89.00 $82.44 $1,131 —
1315–1465 1388 80-85% 5 75.00–79.00 $77.59 $1,077 —
1225–1690 1419 80-85% 35 84.00–89.00 $86.41 $1,226 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
867–1340 1043 85-90% 23 70.00–81.00 $77.67 $810 —
875–1250 1063 85-90% 2 52.00–67.00 $58.18 $618 —
1000–1155 1116 85-90% 7 87.00–91.00 $88.85 $992 —
940–1340 1148 85-90% 32 76.00–86.00 $82.35 $945 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1590–1780 1668 75-80% 3 88.00–94.00 $90.62 $1,512 —
1545–1815 1678 75-80% 6 80.00–86.00 $83.61 $1,403 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–910 850 2 117.50–119.00 $118.30 $1,006 —
875–1395 1164 4 95.00–107.00 $102.33 $1,191 —
1365–2530 1781 5 90.00–101.00 $97.60 $1,738 -6.95
1710–2240 1945 4 105.00–113.00 $108.71 $2,114 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
954–1080 973 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 11 102.00–109.00 $107.61 $1,047
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
813–860 822 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 87.00–94.00 $92.54 $761

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
932–1415 1198 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 1,475.00–1,550.00 $1,524.35
1186–1335 1211 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,275.00–1,375.00 $1,356.62
1291–1685 1336 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 42 1,425.00–1,700.00 $1,686.39
1351–1370 1355 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 1,125.00–1,150.00 $1,144.94
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
977 977 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 15 1,550.00 $1,550.00
1014 1014 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,150.00 $1,150.00
1021 1021 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 17 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1125 1125 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,000.00 $1,000.00
1036–1570 1291 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 1,300.00–1,400.00 $1,336.79

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
896–1393 978 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 63 1,475.00–1,625.00 $1,579.37
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
826–899 870 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 55 1,200.00–1,385.00 $1,259.63

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1240 1240 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,625.00 $1,625.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
855 855 (<2 yrs)Open 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.